|
|
Searching
Dialog: A Step-by-Step Search Strategy
|
Scope
- This is a step-by-step look at
the entire process of searching for information on an online
database utility.
- It is illustrated by an example
information need problem.
Information
Need
- You are (or are helping) a
college student is writing a paper about how nutrition, rest,
exercise, and emotional condition have the potential to improve
academic performance.
State the
Topic
- Try stating the problem in
different ways.
- The purpose for doing so is to
get different perspectives on the
- As a Question:
- What is the relationship
between nutrition, rest, exercise, and emotional condition and
good grades?
- As a Statement:
- Nutrition, rest, exercise, and
emotional condition may have a positive impact on academic
performance.
Concept
Chart
- Use a chart like this to organize
your search for maximum effectiveness in terms of
recall
and precision.
- Enter what you think is the best
search term for the first concept you are concerned with under
Concept A.
- Enter synonyms or similar terms
for that concept in the same column but below
"or
(add related
terms)."
- Do the same for
each additional concept (Concepts B, C, etc.) in their
respective columns.
- You may also want
to limit your search results in several ways.
- Examples:
- Limiting
the search to English.
- Limiting it
to recent publications. (Important, if you are looking at
medical information.)
- Excluding
references to concepts that use similar terms, such as
excluding "law schools" if you are looking for information
on paralegal programs
|
Concept
A
|
|
Concept
B
|
|
Concept
C
|
|
college
students
|
and
|
nutrition
|
and
|
academic
achievement
|
or
(add
related terms)
|
|
university
students
|
|
diet
|
|
academic
performance
|
|
students, higher
education
|
|
eating
habits
|
|
grade point
average
|
|
|
|
|
|
grades
|
|
|
|
|
|
GPA
|
|
not
(or limits)
|
|
any language exept
English (limit to English)
|
|
any date before 1980
(limit to 1980 or later)
|
|
dieting
|
Plan Search
Strategy
1.
ss
student?
and (college
or university)
2. ss
nutrition or
diet or
eating
3. ss
grades or
(academic(w)performance)
or GPA
4. Combine the resulting
sets.
5. s
s1 and
s2
and
s3
6. s
s4/eng
and
py>=1980
Select the
appropriate database to search.
- Look at whatever information you
may have on databases that are logically relevant to the search
problem.
- This may include:
- Database utility catalog of
databases
- In Dialog,
looking at the OneSearch categories is a good
place to start.
- Dialog
Bluesheets
- Database-specific
manuals
- Recommendations by
information professionals in professional
journals.
- Recommendations in online
forums.
- Select the databases for the
specific search problem.
- For the example problem, we
will select the following Dialog databases:
Logon
Execute Your
Search Strategy / Expression / Algorithm
1.
ss
student?
and (college
or university)
2. ss
nutrition or
diet or
eating
3. ss
grades or
(academic(w)performance)
or GPA
4. Combine the resulting
sets.
5. s
s1 and
s2
and
s3
6. s
s4/eng
and
py>=1980
Display the
Results
- You have two choices here.
- Displaying and reading the
records online.
- Example:
- d
s5/3/1-20
- "s5"
being the results of s
s4/eng
and
py>=1980
- Note that the search is
being displayed in the /3/
format, which generally incurs no or little
charges.
- Displaying and capturing the
records continuously for reading offline. (Note: To learn how
to do this, see the Dialog Index Web page and click on
"Capturing Records with Telnet.")
- Example:
- t
s5/3/1-20
- "s5"
being the results of s
s4/eng
and
py>=1980
Pause, Logout,
Logout Hold, Save Temp
- pause
- Do this if you expect it will take you no more than about a
minute to review the citations.
- logout
- Use this to exit Dialog if it is going to take you more than
about a minute to review the citations.
- logout
hold - This command will
hold your results for up to 30 minutes if you have exit Dialog to
do some serious thinking about your search but expect to come back
to it.
- save
temp - Do this if you want
to save a search for up to 7 days.
- Save it as a 1-6 letter name
that you should note down.
- The search an be re-executed
and reviewed later with the exs
command.
Analyze the
Results
- Do the returned records provide
the desired information?
- If not, review your search in
terms of terms, functions, operators, and way that language
structure and words are likely to be used for the subject you are
trying to find information on.
- To look at your previous
searches, type "ds"
in the Command
field at the bottom of the screen, then click on
.
Modify Your Search
Strategy / Expression / Algorithm
- Narrow or broaden the search as
needed.
- Refine the search terms or select
synonymous or new ones.
Enter Your Revised
Search Strategy / Expression / Algorithm
Display the
Results
- Select the ones you want to view
full-text.
- Displaying and review or download
the relevant ones.
Logout
- Look at the screen for the cost
of the search
- Multiply it by 15 times to get a
rough idea of the true cost of your Dialog search.
-
optimized for Netscape & 800x600
display